Bath.
November 12th
My dear Papa,
I send you a letter from Charles <1> that I received yesterday. I think Mama <2> would like to read it as she had not time when she was here. He talks a great deal about the Cathedral of Oxford, but as far as I recollect we did not go to see it. However as he has such a good memory for those sort s of things, I suppose he must be right.
It has been exceedingly cold today, though very fine. There was a feeling in the air as though it was going to snow, and all the people here say that it is an extraordinarily cold November. We were very glad to hear that Mama got home without suffering so much from the cold as we feared she might. – The leaves are not yet quite gone, on the trees around here, but these frosts will make them fall very fast now. – If there are any particular bulbs or seeds that you want from Griffin’s you ought to let us know and we can easily get them, as his garden is within easy walking distance.
There are promenade concerts which take place in the pump room, three times a week, at 2 o’clock to which subscribers and a limited number of other persons are admitted. We are thinking of going there to one of them tomorrow or Saturday, as the bookseller in the Abbey Churchyard (successor of Hayward)<3> has promised to procure us tickets.
Mamie <4> wishes me to give you many thanks for sending her the number of Assyrian antiquities. She has already read it all through with great interest and means to read it again, as we do also: and when we get home we hope you will lend us the intervening numbers to read, as we only saw the first.
I hope Ela <5> described to you our visit to the museum, which contains such curious Roman antiquities, and fossil remains. We were quite ashamed of having so very often frequented Bath, without ever ever hearing of its existence untill Uncle William <6> told us of it the other day. –
Good bye, dear Papa, au revoir next Tuesday; –
Your affectionate daughter
Rosamond Talbot.
Please to remind Mama to send us the bill of the carriages, which she promised to look for.
And also if you would ask Ela to send us the exact mesurement [sic] of the pictures, in order that we may be sure not to make any mistake in ordering the frames, for your room.
[envelope:]
H. F. Talbot Esqre
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham.
Notes:
1. Charles Henry Talbot (1842–1916), antiquary & WHFT’s only son.
2. Constance Talbot, née Mundy (1811–1880), WHFT’s wife.
3. James Davies, library & bookseller, took over the establishment of Samuel Hayward at 5, Abbey Churchyard.
4. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].
5. Ela Theresa Talbot (1835–1893), WHFT’s 1st daughter.
6. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.